An Evening with Mark Messier

ALREADY PERFORMED THIS SEASON

Mark Messier is a former professional hockey player and currently the CEO of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. Mark is a six time Stanley Cup winner and was the Captain of the 1994 New York Rangers in their first Stanley Cup win in 54 years. He is a 16 time NHL All-Star and is the only professional athlete to captain two different franchises to Championships. Mark is the third all-time leading scorer in NHL history, behind only Jaromir Jagr and Wayne Gretzky. He is also second in all-time games played to Gordie Howe. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all-time, and in 2007 was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility.

Mark was most recently the Special Assistant to the President of the New York Rangers Hockey Club. In that role, Messier assisted President and General Manager Glen Sather in various on and off-ice activities. In addition to his duties with the Rangers, Messier was named General Manager of Team Canada in December 2009 for the 2010 World Championships in Germany. In October 2010, he was named head coach of Team Canada for both the 2010 Deutschland Cup and 2010 Spengler Cup competitions, and led his team to a second place finish in the Spengler Cup.
Kingsbridge National Ice Center upon its completion will be the world's largest indoor ice complex, featuring nine ice sheets, a 5,000-seat arena and facilities for ice hockey, figure skating, curling and other ice sports.

This past year, the Mark Messier Foundation was established with a mission to help young children become better citizens by providing opportunities to participate in sporting activities and living a healthier lifestyle. He is also a member of the board of the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund, and is an active supporter of the Tomorrow’s Children’s Fund, an organization with which he opened the Mark Messier Skyway for Tomorrow’s Children at the Hackensack University Medical Center in NJ.

Mark lives in Connecticut with his wife and two young children.

Amy Robach

My Breast Cancer Journey: From Fighter to Thriver
with Amy Robach

This event has been cancelled

“I have breast cancer.” When Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach revealed her shocking diagnosis on live television in November 2013, the seasoned news reporter embarked on the most difficult and illuminating journey of her life. During her talk, Amy will retrace the twelve months following her announcement and speaks candidly about how her illness affected her family life and her marriage, tapped into her deepest fears and strengths, and transformed her in ways she never could have imagined.

Only weeks earlier, in September 2013, ABC producers asked Robach to get an on-air mammogram to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Her first instinct was to say no—there was no history of cancer in her family, she was only forty years old, and she felt strange drawing attention to herself when she had no personal connection to the issue. (She’d been meaning to get her first mammogram that year but had conveniently “lost” the prescription.) Her colleague Robin Roberts, herself a cancer survivor, convinced her to do it with one simple sentence: “I can pretty much guarantee it will save a life.”

To Robach’s surprise, the life she saved was her own: Tests revealed malignant tumors in her breast, and she immediately underwent a bilateral mastectomy, followed by six months of chemotherapy treatments.

Better is more than a story of illness and recovery. Robach recounts the day she and her husband, Andrew Shue, got the terrible news; the difficulty of telling her two young daughters, and the challenges of carrying on with the everyday duties of parenting, nurturing a fledgling second marriage, and managing a public career. She lays bare the emotional toll of her experience and mines her past for the significant moments that gave her the resilience to face each day. And she describes the incredible support network that lifted her when she hit bottom.

With honesty, humility, and humor, Robach connects deeply with women just like her who have struggled with any kind of sudden adversity. More important, she shares valuable wisdom about the power of the human spirit to endure the worst—and find the way to better.

Taya Kyle

Faith, Family and Freedomwith Taya Kyle

Already performed this season

Taya Kyle is the wife of the late U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and the author of the New York Times bestselling book, American Wife. Taya is a bold advocate for women and families and a passionate voice for faith, strength and American ideals. Following the tragic death of her husband Chris Kyle - author of the New York Times bestselling book and Academy Award-winning motion picture, American Sniper – Taya has served as Executive Director of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. The Foundation continues Chris Kyle’s legacy while serving the needs of military and first responder families. Taya Kyle recounts her personal experiences as the wife of an American hero in her book, American Wife. Highs, lows, grief and joy – she honestly shares the trials and triumphs of life with and without Chris Kyle, and ultimately finding her place in the midst of the journey. Taya is a frequent speaker for various organizations. She is a proud mother and resides in Texas with her family

Taya Kyle shares her powerful story of love, war, faith and renewal. The theme resonates with more than just service members and patriots. Taya believes every person alive seeks love and faith in something. Every person struggles and fights some sort of battle. Ultimately, we are looking for renewal. Taya’s story is about withstanding and persevering even when life brings uncommon and unforeseen circumstances to our door.